Conclusion & Suggestions - CHAPTER -7 Pg. 338-369 - Shodhganga
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CHAPTER -7
Pg. 338-369
Conclusion
&
Suggestions
• Conclusion
• Suggestions
• Indian News 2040: A Visualisation
• Limitations & Further Scope of ResearchChapter 7: Conclusion and Suggestions
CHAPTER-7
Conclusion
Technology has undisputedly made the work in the Newsroom (NR) easier, faster and
impressive. Plenty of gadgets are extensively used for gathering, verification, processing and
disseminating the news. Technology has indeed broken the barriers. Google News, Dailyhunt
and many other websites provide round the clock global news updates. ‘Radio Garden’
connects one to any radio station of the world merely on a single click on the app. App-based
TV viewing is receiving huge popularity globally. In the US, “54% people having WiFi
connection use app to watch TV” (Lella 2017). Russia Today news channel has started news
bulletins with 3D effects where one can feel the news. These are just the beginning of
miraculous changes that are in the offing in media. How the technology has gradually
evolved and how it has changed the entire working in the NR has already been explained and
discussed with facts and figures in the previous chapters. The conclusion of the research is
particularly based on those facts. Apart from positive, some negative and futuristic aspects of
technology have also been discussed here.
7.1: Digital: The Game Changer
What has completely revolutionised the working in the NR today is digital technology and
internet. As the speed and penetration of internet increase, infrastructure gets strengthened
and smartphone is further equipped with more software, the things will change beyond
imagination. All activities in the NR will centre around smartphone. Traditionally, the news
flow in NR has been through two sources—media houses’ own reporters/stringers and news
agencies. But now the citizens, through various social media platforms, contribute
unexceptionally in the news pool. In most cases, they break the news even before any big
news channel, newspaper, news agency or the radio station does. As news consumers have
snatched away the monopoly of breaking the news, no media house is now able to suppress
or boost any particular news.
Since the major part of the feed in the NR comes through multiple sources including social
media platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Blogs,
email, phone call, etc the prime challenge is how to verify it. In some cases, it can be
confirmed using digital technology, but in many cases it is done manually, which kills the
338Chapter 7: Conclusion and Suggestions
speed of news. In coming days, the verification will entirely be digital. Today those who do it
digitally are able to maintain the speed of news. In near future, the software will be so
advanced that they will crosscheck the information instantly as it reaches the system through
any method—email, SMS, audio-video feed, etc. They will not only detect the exact location
of the visual or image coming through social media, but also automatically process the news
in desired formats—print, television, web, radio, etc. The value addition in any news item
will also be done automatically by software by collecting additional information from
different sources. Suppose, a helicopter crashes in any remote area or a terrorist attack takes
place anywhere. As the news comes through any source, the software will automatically
gather additional information related to the incident, whether coming through official
spokesperson or any other source, through the keywords. Today, the software used in the
NRs are not so much upgraded and lot of human interference is there. However, there are still
some advanced digital methods and devices, they are not in practice. But in coming days,
their use will be common.
7.2: Robots: The Future Content Generators
The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is going to increase unexceptionally in the NR. Some
media houses including The Times of India, Aaj Tak, etc have already started high use of AI.
Aaj Tak uses robotic cameras in its studios and its archive too is robot-operated. It is also in
the process of using more bots in various operations by the end of 2017. The increased
mechanisation, high use of AI and improved algorithms will substantially decrease human
interference in NR. The bots will be programmed according to the requirements, standards
and formats of the respective media—newspaper, magazine, television, radio, web, etc. As
the system receives any news, it will be processed instantly by the system itself according to
the programmed format merely on a click. In the next click, it will be uploaded on the
website within seconds. A glimpse of it can be seen today also in some media houses. Lokmat
Samachar and some other newspapers in India still use software, which designs the whole
newspaper in one click. As the news reaches the software through email, etc the software
automatically processes it and by searching required photos from the system folders or
Google Images, it designs the whole newspaper in the desired format. It can safely be termed
as entry of robots in the NR. But human intervention will be required in planning and keeping
a watch on developing or complicated stories. Today, one has to search information for value
addition from different sources including websites, individuals, books, newspapers, etc. But
in future, it will be done by software. As the software are upgraded, speed and penetration of
339Chapter 7: Conclusion and Suggestions
internet improves and infrastructure is strengthened, the speed in the NR will increase
unexceptionally. The day is not far when the news, now processed in an hour, will be
processed within seconds. This may happen within coming five years. The advanced software
will upload complete information on websites, and the TV news channels, Radio or
newspapers will find nothing new. Hence, they will have to struggle hard to save their
readership or viewership by presenting the stale news in newer formats. The Google-Press
Association news wire tie up in the US for preparing robots that will churn out 30,000 stories
for local media outlets every month (Shead, 2017) is going to revolutionise the entire
functioning in the NR.
7.3:Virtual Newsroom
Virtual Reality is reality now. The time is not far when 3600visuals will make one feel the
gravity of an incident. A glimpse of it can be seen with the 3600 view provided by Google’s
Street View for its map. The advancements in technology are faster after the year 2015. The
year 2016-2017 has been the year of wearable gadgets. Players like Qualcomm and Intel are
betting on wearable technology. Amazon UK, the online retail giant, has started a wearable
technology store. Such gadgets are also easily available at Amazon India, Snapdeal, Flipkart,
etc. Some are even bundled with smartphones. Some of wearable gadgets include JawBone
UP (to understand sleep cycles, move and eat better), Samsung Gear 2 (to answer calls while
driving, see the notifications for emails and messages), FitBit Flex (to turn exercise into a
game that works around daily routines), NuMetrex Fabric Chest Strap (to monitor heart rate),
Google Glass (to display information in a smartphone like hands-free format), GoQii (a life
fitness tracker), Get Active Slim (to track one’s activity and measure sleep quality), Fin Ring
(to control any smart device just by moving the thumb over the other fingers) and Spotnsave
Wristband (to send SOSs to dear ones if in trouble).
Today multiple software are used for multiple tasks. As the software are integrated, the newer
software will do multiple tasks. Then the NR will have little human interference. Today a
single person operates the automatic printing press. But there is possibility that in coming
days the operator will switch on or off the machines through the smartphone from any
location. This technology is still in use at some places in different forms. There is a Village
Hosangadi under Dakshin Kannada District of Karnataka, where the villagers have been
using similar technology since 2014. They operate their drinking water tubewell through
smartphone. The tubewell has been installed in a deep forest, but the operator can switch it on
340Chapter 7: Conclusion and Suggestions
or off from his home, which is about three km from the tubewell. Such AI or automation is
used for other purposes also. One can lock or unlock one’s house, switch on or off electrical
appliances, etc through smartphone only. The technology is widely used in Japan and some
other countries where not only the aeroplane operations, but bullet train, etc are also operated
through AI. Human operators are there, but they only intervene when there is any system
failure or emergency. In our country, the use of AI has now increased in banking and Metro
Rail operations. The fare token vending machines at Metro Stations in Delhi are automatic,
where one puts the money into the machine and instantly gets the desired token with the
balance amount. This type of automation and AI will widely be used in the NR too in coming
days. However, the human intervention will substantially reduce, but it will not completely
vanish, because the NR operations require both the news and views. The machine may
process the news; it may also make comments on some happenings and draw some
conclusions based on the installed algorithms, but that will be done to a certain level. To the
next level, human intervention will be required. In fact, it will be the test of human
intelligence to analyse the things to next level even better than the machines.
7.4: Small Rooms to Replace High Rise Buildings
As the NRs get virtual, there will be no need for high-rise buildings as required today.
Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg of New Delhi, the main press area in the national capital, has
gradually shifted to Nodia. But in coming days it may be reduced to a single multi-story
building allotting single rooms or floors to each media house. It may also be shifted to other
parts of the country. The staff will work from the field or their homes. This trend has already
started gaining ground. For example, Aaj Tak has dozens of stringers in Delhi and NCR and
hundreds of other representatives in other parts of the country. All of them now send the feed
online and communicate to the office through email only. Their payments too are made
online. Even if somebody has any complaint, that too is resolved online. Delhi Aaj Tak
stringer in West Delhi Rajender Swami says he has not entered the Mediaplex (Aaj Tak’s
office in Noida) for over two years and still files five-six stories every day. Hence, in future
the NRs of both news channels and newspapers will be small in size and there will be more
machines than human beings. The interviews will widely be done through software like
Skype, etc. If somebody is flying in an aeroplane, even then he/she will be connected to the
NR through Skype-type software. The present huge buildings of media houses will be used
for other purposes. The Hindustan Times has already rented out its high-rise office at
Kasturba Gandhi Marg in New Delhi. Small high rooms equipped with most modern
341Chapter 7: Conclusion and Suggestions
machines will replace the present high-rise buildings. That technology will further dismantle
the barriers, which create hindrance between the truth and the reader.
7.5: Web to Dominate, Print to Emerge in Newer Formats
The future operations in the NR will be web-centric. Even if print and TV channels are there,
the prime focus will be on web only. Both print and TV will emerge in new avatars. The
majors in media seem to have understood this fact, as all their strategies in the NR now
evolve around the web and smartphone. The Express Group has dropped the idea of
launching new print editions. Rather, on January 30, 2017, it launched a website,
www.iemalayalam.com, in order to tap the Malayali readers across the world. It also launched
Telugu website on April 28, 2017. Using the legacy brand, the Group is launching websites in
different Indian languages in 2017 alone to tap those language readers at one platform. Prior
to Express Group, the Times Group did it two years back when it launched
www.samayam.com in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam. Dainik Bhaskar had conducted this
experiment in Indore about four years back connecting the people of Indore living across the
world. The Hindustan Times, on January 9, 2017 downed the curtains on seven of its editions
– Kolkata, Ranchi, Bhopal, Indore, Allahabad, Varanasi and Kanpur (Primepost 2017). HT
Media clarified that “the move comes in light of adapting to changing consumption trends
and growing focus on the digital” and it desires to invest in ‘Digital Future’ and ‘creation of
an ultra modern and hi-tech NR in Delhi’. NDTV also retrenched 70 staffers on July 24, 2017
in the process of opting for MoJo (Mobile Journalism). Aaj Tak is also gradually shifting to
web with focus on smartphone. Many other media houses in vernacular press too are in the
process of being web based only. Radio will also be web based.
Since newspapers are expanding more in rural areas and reading newspaper is still convenient
for a large number of readers around 40 years of age in urban areas, print is not going to die
at least for two decades. The demand for newspapers in rural areas and ideological as well as
specialised magazines will be there. But the print will emerge in new form, format or
medium. It may be paperless—beyond digital form seen now. They may be in Harry Potter
style. May be the newspapers in future provide tab like discardable screens to subscribers and
supply content through that gadget round the clock without using paper. There may be any
other method using nano-technology. It may be like pre-paid DTH dish. May be the present
websites vanish and any other easier technology, may be like Google Glass type gadget,
emerges. When one puts it on the eyes, a virtual screen will start providing the desired
342Chapter 7: Conclusion and Suggestions
content. Such a device has been developed by a Gujarati IT engineer in India. It does not
require any screen or projector and even electricity to function. Everything is visible in the air
through an artificial screen. It is connected to a mini computer. Such gadget may dominate
the market in coming days. There is also a possibility that small gadgets like Bluetooth or
Ring may provide video content through artificial screen in the air. Any technology that
provides the alternate of newspaper will flourish. What is visualised in Star War may be the
future technology.
7.6: Convergence in Real Form
The convergence, seen in majority NRs today, does not relate to the functions that the term
‘convergence’ indeed stands for. Now a story filed by a reporter can be used for print, web,
TV, radio, etc. This is not the real convergence. In truer sense, every editorial activity,
whether for TV news channel, radio, web, newspaper, magazine or anything else, takes place
in the same NR. Automation will be high and presence of human beings will be nominal in
such NRs. The people recruited for such highly automated NRs will be only those who are
able to do work for all platforms — print, web, TV, radio, etc. There will be high use of AI.
The news will be processed at single place only. The changes in visuals will be beyond
imagination. If the popular anchor of the new channel is away from the studio, even then the
show will go on using his/her virtual image and voice through improved software.
7.7: Machines to be Operated through Neural Instructions
Today, the computers in banks, defence offices and many important government
establishments are opened through biometric impressions. In coming days, there is possibility
that the machines are operated through users’ voice, eyes or neural activities and there will be
no need to touch the keypad. Gadgets will be intuitive smart. The machines in the NR will
follow oral instructions. This technology is already available, but needs further
improvements. As it gets cheaper and further improved, it will extensively be used. As the
cost of smartphone, call rates and data charges get cheaper, the software and machines will
also be cheaper. Since the future belongs to digital, the software will also be cheaper. The
future changes in digital will be MoJo or smartphone-centric, because not only the
newspapers, but also the TV news channels, web portals or radio, etc will be viewed through
smartphone only. The size and shape of the smartphone will see further changes. It may be
thin like paper, wristwatch, Bluetooth, wristband, ring or in any other form. The range of
Bluetooth type gadgets will be so wider that one will not be required to always carry the
343Chapter 7: Conclusion and Suggestions
phone. Today’s costly software too may be available free of cost, as the open source trend
gets strengthened. People will stop writing or typing the text. Voice typing will widely be
used. Gradual improvements in Google translation will also change the things beyond
imagination. The machines in future will be so smart that they will catch even the feelings
and intuition.
7.8: Amalgamation of Audio-Video-Text
Keeping in view the high popularity of YouTube and high viewership of video content on
web and social media platforms, the future content will be more video based. Big newspapers
like Rajasthan Patrika and Dainik Bhaskar have already started producing video content on
large scale by starting their own production houses in NR. Dainik Bhaskar has exclusive
studio for video content generation at its digital headquarters in Bhopal. Equally, Rajasthan
Patrika has started a full-fledged news channel at its Jhalana Dungri Office in Jaipur. They
have armed their reporters stationed even in remote areas with high quality smartphones so
that they provide exclusive videos instantly. The video content now is more smartphone-
centric. All the websites of the Times Group upload huge videos and fetch huge traffic. The
Indian Express also uploads lot of videos on its websites and they are widely watched. The
trend is being emulated by many media houses in vernacular press also.The video content
will be produced and consumed in unexceptionally newer formats. There is very much
possibility that the content of books and magazines too is amalgamation of text, audio and
video. What people have seen in Harry Potter series (pictures in motion) may be a popular
format of future paperless newspapers, magazines and books. The smartphone will be the
future screen and app will be the future TV. Some news channels have already started
preparing content as per the smart TV requirements. Aaj Tak is going to start it shortly.
Joining the race for thinner displays for TVs, cell phones and other gadgets, Sony is
developing a razor-thin display that bends like a paper while showing full-colour video. The
TV screens in the form of T-shirts are already available in Europe (Truong 2012). T-shirt
cloth acts as screen. Since solar panels are now printable on clothes or paper, in coming days
it seems one side of the T shirt will be used as TV screen, while the other side will be used as
charging unit through printable solar panels. It may be the future screen for news channels
and paperless newspapers. There is also a possibility that the curtain in the house acts as TV
screen with automatic power back up through solar. Even the roof, walls and windows are
digital and act as TV screen and computer.
344Chapter 7: Conclusion and Suggestions
7.9: Rich Video Archives Open to All
The main issue with the video content today is how and where to watch the programme the
viewer has missed. Since the entire video content is not available on YouTube and set top
boxes as well as dish too have their own limitations, the TV news channels in future may
have to come out with a solid archive, where the viewers would see any programme they
have missed. Aaj Tak has started work on it and is going to start it shortly. In the beginning of
2017, Reliance Jio offered this facility to its consumers through video library. In February
2017,it updated its JioCinema app allowing the users to save their favourite shows or movies
offline to watch later (Moray, 2017). The app is an on-demand video library that offers
content in multiple languages and is exclusively available for Jio users. The new version of
the app came with a new ‘smart’ download option which allowed the users to schedule their
downloads thereby allowing them to make the most of Jio’s Happy Hours feature under the
Happy New Year offer. Under Happy Hours, Reliance Jio today offers unlimited internet for
three hours at night from 2 am to 5 am daily. With the smart download feature, the users
could put their favourite content on JioCinema for downloading during the night and have the
content ready by the morning so that they can watch it offline while they commute to work.
Till January 2017, over 1 lakh hours of video content was available on this app. The users
also have the option of choosing low, medium and high quality of videos. With this feature,
the JioCinema joined the group of Hotstar, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, which too offer
download features. In late 2016, Netflix introduced the ability to download shows or movies
to be watched offline. On the other hand, Amazon Prime Video, which made its debut in
India in December 2016, also allowed its Prime members to download select titles and watch
them later. While both Netflix and Amazon Prime Video are paid on-demand video services,
content on the JioCinema app is available for free. The main libraries world over are being
digitised offering huge content. But the issue of copy right, royalty and revenue model may
confront in coming days. It is also to be decided how deeper one is to be allowed to access
the Archive free and at which level one will have to pay. The information buried in libraries
till now will be open to the public world over. This will at least change the dimension of
research.
7.10: Live Telecast through Smartphone
The growing preference of people for video content is understood from the fact that the use of
videos has substantially increased on WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter during the last one
345Chapter 7: Conclusion and Suggestions
year. Even to greet birthday, New Year, Holi, Diwali, Independence Day, Republic Day, etc
people use video messages. The viewers’ preference for video content has psychological
reason also. Edger Dale’s popular data retention curve says that what one reads can be
recalled only 10%, what one hears can be recalled 20%, what one sees 30%, what one sees
and hears 50%, what one says and writes or discusses 70%, what one personally experiences
80% and what one teaches to others can be recalled 90%. Launched in May 2005, YouTube
is today the most popular source of originally created videos. Hence, most of the content to
be posted on social media will be video based in future. One notable change in it will be that
long formats will vanish. Instead of long video, short duration video series of 50-60 seconds
will be popular. The in-built edit software in smartphones will help people produce videos of
their choices. Live telecast of any event through smartphone will be more popular following
unexceptional improvements in phone camera lenses. It is already available in Apple’s
iPhone. Another interesting change in the video content will be that as the machine receives
video footage, it will be able to ascertain the actual location, when and where it was actually
shot. Technology will demolish many myths and confusions that are easily created by some
media houses today. Today one needs forensic test to ascertain authenticity of any visual
footage. But in coming days, smartphone itself will provide all relevant information instantly.
Not only live telecast, the smartphone will also play a key role in dissemination of news.
There will be no need of dish or cable connection for TV set. One would connect the
smartphone to TV and will watch news bulletins or movies anytime. Reliance Jio and some
other mobile phone companies are going to provide this facility soon.
7.11: Emphasis on Hyper Local Content
Today, the focus of all media houses, both print and TV channels, is local content. This trend
may witness few other turns. There may be the emergence of community-connected content
on web. If anybody from general public sees anything wrong happening with anybody, that
will be shot and uploaded on social media. It still happens in many incidents when people see
the videos of drunkard policemen misbehaving with people, policemen receiving bribe, high
profile persons committing crime and police not taking the matter serious. In January 2015, a
drunkard woman lawyer in an inebriated state in Mumbai killed two persons while driving
her Audi car. The police let her go, but the incident was shot on a mobile phone by a person.
When the video went viral on social media, the police had to arrest the said lawyer who is
still on bail in that case.
346Chapter 7: Conclusion and Suggestions
The social media will become the main source of citizen journalism. There will be instant
delivery of content and it will be more impactful than now. YouTube is everybody’s channel
now. From big corporate houses to small groups and even the common man produces and
uploads videos there. As on February 2017, more than 400 hours of content was uploaded
each minute and one billion hours of content was watched on it every day. As on April 2017,
the website was ranked as the second most popular site in the world by Alexa.
7.12: Indian Languages to Dominate
About two crore Indians are proficient in English and they are already on internet. Hence,
now Hindi and vernacular languages will dominate as more and more Indians go online,
spurred by regional content, falling data prices and cheaper smartphones. Almost every new
user coming online—9 out of 10— are not proficient in English. So, almost all the growth
usage will come from non-English users. Google estimates that by the year 2021, content
consumption in Hindi will be bigger than that of English. A study, ‘Indian Languages—
Defining India’s Internet’, conducted by Google and KPMG (PTI 2017) underlines this trend.
According to the study, the Indian language internet user base grew at a CAGR of 41%
between 2011 and 2016 to reach 234 million users at the end of 2016. This growth has
resulted in Indian language internet users surpassing the English users, which are 175 million.
This growth in Indian languages is likely to grow at 18% annually to reach 536 million by
2021, compared to English use base growing at 3% to reach 199 million. Indian language
internet users are expected to account for nearly 75% of India’s internet user base by 2021.
The study further reveals that 99% of local-language users access internet through mobile
devices. Adoption of internet is the highest among Tamil, Hindi, Kannada, Bengali,, Marathi,
Telugu, Gujarati and Malayalam. The study estimates that Marathi, Bengali, Tamil and
Telugu will form 30% of the total local-language user base in India in coming days. Google
was quick to tap this new user base in Indian languages, as it expanded its support for nine
more Indian languages, including Gujarati, Punjabi, Malayalam and Kannada, across various
products to ensure more people can access the internet in a language of their choice. Powered
by ‘neural machine translation’, the users will now be able to translate in English and nine
widely used Indian languages—Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Gujarati, Punjabi,
Malayalam and Kannada. The new technology translates full sentences instead of doing it in
pieces and, therefore, offers better quality translation. Also, 35% of digital advertisements
will be in local languages from the current 5%.
347Chapter 7: Conclusion and Suggestions
7.13: Citizen Journalism in newer Forms
Citizen journalism will witness newer experiments. Surprising methods may be adopted by
media houses to engage the audience. May be the newspapers install their kiosks at ‘Village
Chaupals, crossings in cities, main markets, Railway Stations, Bus Stands, big restaurants,
offices of political parties, etc disseminating news free of cost through digital screens
equipped with multiple facilities for people like contacting police in case of crime, fire
brigade in case of fire, ambulance in case of health trouble and even providing news directly
to the newspapers/news channels if any incident takes place in the area. There is very much
possibility that most content for print and TV channels comes from ordinary people and a
large number of trained journalists becomes jobless. Every citizen will be a journalist.
Anyone who gets information will feed that to the media houses of their choice instantly. The
media houses may also come with attractive offers for people to get news. Apart from
morning editions, the same newspapers may have multiple editions like afternoon, evening,
etc. As the mobile penetration increases newer formats will emerge. May be the NR starts
asking for Adhaar number of the citizens providing news for authenticity.
7.14: Snippet Tax or Paywall
Revenue generation is definitely a significant question for any media house. As digital grows,
a solid mechanism is required for revenue generation also. A battle is brewing in Brussels
over a European Union (EU) reform plan that would force internet aggregators such as
Google News to pay the newspapers for displaying snippets of their articles online. However,
Google is furious at the idea, publishers, including Axel Springer or Rupert Murdoch’s
Newscorp, affirm that a ‘snippet tax’ is the only hope to save a news industry for revenue
(AFP 2017). The initial experiments of imposing paywall on websites were rejected by the
Indian readers/viewers during the early 2000s. However, most of the websites do not use
paywall now, the debate whether it should be there or not is still on. At global level, both
models are in practice. The Guardian survives without a paywall, while The New York Times
earns handsome revenue through paywall. It is yet to be seen which model works in long
term. But, it is expected that paywall will not be much successful in India and the media
houses will have to find new resources for meeting their expenses. Paywall may be successful
only in case of high quality and exclusive content. People will not pay for the news or
information, which is already available on other platforms. They pay for Netflix, Amazon
Prime or DTH because of their quality.
348Chapter 7: Conclusion and Suggestions
7.15: About 75% Man Power to Vanish from the Newsroom
Many posts have already vanished from NR over the last two decades. Proofreaders, typists,
stenogarphers, pasters, layout designers, etc are not required at all now. In news agencies
also, the messengers and technical staff in teleprinter rooms have vanished. In coming days,
the typing work will not be required, because the voice app will automatically convert the
audio into text and that too in the desired font. There are software in the market already to
convert the content from JPG or image format to text. There is also software in use, which
designs the page in desired format. As this software gets popular, the post of Page Designers
will also disappear. Gradually, the post of copy editors will also disappear because the sub
editors and reporters will be in multiple roles. In TV also, the changes are very fast. The
requirement of OB Van staff, technical staff, support staff, cameramen, etc is not much
required now. As the smartphone is widely used, the reporter in news channels will be in
multiple roles. In coming days, the requirement of even video editors will not be there.
Recruitments will be done through video conferencing, Skype or other newer techniques. The
issue of credibility will continue to haunt the entire media. As technology further improves,
privacy will further disappear. The future belongs to quality journalists. Those who enjoy life
in journalism with the help of some influential individuals may have to lose job. The people
who perform daily will survive. The pool of experts and contributors will also increase.
Journalists will lose jobs but anyone who has sharp news sense and is able to work at all
platforms of communication technology will survive.
7.16: Burgeoning e-Waste: The Side-Effect of Digitisation
Technology has definitely made the work easier and faster, but it has come with various side
effects. More digitisation means generation of more e-waste. At present, India is the 5th
largest producer of e-waste in the world and it is likely to generate 52 lakh metric tonnes of e-
waste by 2020 from 18 lakh metric tonnes produced in 2015. India’s e-waste is growing at
30% per annum. Computer equipments account for almost 70% of e-waste material followed
by telecommunication equipments (12%) electrical equipments (8%) and medical equipments
(7%). Other equipments including household e-waste gets recycled due to poor infrastructure,
legislation and framework. Hence, it needs immediate attention of the policymakers, general
public and the media together with focus on recycling.
349Chapter 7: Conclusion and Suggestions
7.17: Over Stressed Staff
Stress seems to be emerging as silent killer in the NR. About 90% of the staffers from Editor-
in-Chief to the reporters are stressed and many take regular medicines for various stress-
borne diseases. As the automation increases, the stress will aggravate. However, a good
number of media houses including the Huffington Post, Business Insider, New York Times,
etc in the West have already started taking corrective steps to keep their staffers relaxed by
offering various kinds of facilities including nap rooms in office and flexible office timings,
but in India there is scant awareness about it. Majority of the media houses are seen busy in
finding newer ways to exploit the staff. If the corrective steps are not taken urgently, the NR
may see huge shortage of talented persons. Surely, robots will not have the issue of stress or
world load.
7.18: Newsroom to Vanish
Keeping in view high automation, there is possibility that there is no need of the NR. Even
today there are many successfully international news organisations, which do not have the
NR. They have people in different parts of the world, they meet on Skype or Hangout every
day and manage the web perfectly. There is no need of office or the NR for online media like
Scroll, Dailyhunt, etc. People contribute from wherever they are. Even if some people need to
work in collaborative manner, there are tools where one can see what the other is doing. For a
web portal, only two departments—editorial and marketing are needed. Internationally, there
are so many media houses where over a hundred persons work, but hardly 10 of them sit in
the office. The biggest reason of it is cost. If you earn Rs 10 lakh in a month, why should you
pay Rs 4 lakh as rent of office? Newly launched Republic TV has only one studio in India.
Most of its staff contributes from their own locations. Even there will be no need for bureaus
or regional offices. There are many people in New Delhi, Gurgaon, Bengaluru, Hyderabad,
etc who have been producing US newspapers daily for about a decade. They do not need any
NR. They have not seen the faces of their owners, but they are working and earning money.
Equally, there will be no need for other departments like circulation, printing, advertisement,
production, accounts etc. Everything will be done in a single room with the help of one or
two persons. One can compare it with the telephone operators, who while sitting in a
building, receive, make or transfer calls to different people in the building. That single room
will work round the clock and people will be connected to it round the clock. Machines will
help but they would not replace human totally.
350Chapter 7: Conclusion and Suggestions
7.19: Conclusion in Brief:
• The smartphone is going to change the entire media landscape. There is acute
shortage of exclusive news in the mainstream media including newspapers, print, TV
news channels, radio and web. The content that the media serves today does not
satisfy most readers/viewers. Hence, they look forward for other options, and the
social media has emerged as one such options. This has posed a major challenge
before the TV news channels and newspapers.
• Social Media has turned the tide by snatching away the right of breaking the news
from mainstream media. However, the question of credibility is more with social
media and TV news channels than the print media. It is a fact that the high growth of
social media is a warning bell for the mainstream media.
• Keeping in view the high production of videos by general public through their
smartphones, live telecast of different events on Facebook and unprecedented
uploading of videos on YouTube, it seems the news would vanish from the TV news
channels soon. The viewership of the videos produced and uploaded by common man
is so high that even the big news channels cannot claim that level of viewership.
During the study, 77% respondents accepted YouTube as a major challenge before the
TV news channels.
• The mainstream media has lost the strength of moulding public opinion on major
issues and it is now done mostly by the social media.
• Keeping in view the shortage of exclusive news, the main emphasis in NR is now on
ideation—how to serve the old news with Smart Packaging.
• The demand for personalised content may grow in coming days.
• The use of Robots in the NR in the form of increased artificial intelligence is already
there. But in coming five years the robots in increased AI form will find a prominent
place in the NRs. The human activity will substantially reduce and machines will
dominate. Keeping in view the Google-Press Association joint project called RADAR
for development of robots, it is expected that Robots or AI will replace 75% of the
manpower in NR. Only highly skilled mediapersons will get job. A total of 78%
journalists who joined this study, also expressed the opinion that more automation in
NR will cause more unemployment in the media.
351Chapter 7: Conclusion and Suggestions
• As technology further improves, the NRs will reduce into single rooms in high-rise
buildings and the staff will not be required to report to office. Meetings will be held
through Skype, hangout, WhatsApp or such other software.
• The Smart TVs will further revolutionise the content consumption. The days of
satellite based TV news channels are numbered. App is the future TV. The TV
channels will have to provide their content in the form of solid mechanism where
anyone can see any bulletin any time. Reliance Jio library has emerged as one such
platform. But every news channel will have to create its own platforms.
• Since most news channels are bearing huge losses today, they are reducing the
number of skilled journalists in the NR. The digital is flourishing because it does not
require much logistics and earnings are better. Hence, the TV channels will have to
shift to web and will be smartphone-centric. A total of 60% journalists working in the
NR also admitted during the study that the present satellite based TV news channels
will be web based only in near future following unprecedented growth in digital
media. However, merely shifting to the web is not the guarantee of the survival. The
channels will have to maintain credibility and trustworthiness. Otherwise, the viewers
in the digital too will reject them.
• During the study, a relatively higher number of respondents (79%) opined that web
portals have posed a major challenge before both the newspapers and TV news
channels. Feeling pulse of the readers, majority of the leading media houses in India
have started turning to web. The Hindustan Times closed its editions in Ranchi,
Bhopal, Kanpur and shelved its operations in Allahabad, Varanasi and Kanpur in
January 2017. The Times of India sold its Gujarati newspaper on March 30, 2017.
NDTV removed many staffers, mostly cameramen, technical staff in order to opt for
MoJo. The Indian Express is starting web portals in different languages.
• During the study, a total of 84% respondents said they want news in audio and video
form. This shows the newspapers or news channels, which are innovative in content
generation and presentation and satisfy the readers will survive. Hence, there will be
amalgamation of text, audio and video content. The news agencies too will have to
serve audio-video content.
• Indian languages will prosper in the digital boom. The consumption of content in
regional languages will be more explosive. As the smartphones and internet get
cheaper, this growth will touch unprecedented height. Local language digital content
352Chapter 7: Conclusion and Suggestions
will witness greater acceptance from Indian language users as they find it more
reliable than English content.
• The growing speed and immediacy following technological advancements has
threatened the accuracy, quality and journalistic values in the NR. Information full of
errors is supplied in the name of speed. Even economic facts are quoted wrong.
• The posts of typists, proofreaders, personal assistants, pasters, lay out designers,
peons, machinemen, etc have already vanished from the NR and in coming days more
posts like cameraperson, video editor, copy editor, etc will disappear.
• Citizen journalism will witness newer kinds of experiments. Interesting methods may
be adopted by media houses to engage the audience. May be big newspapers and TV
News channels install their kiosks at Village Chaupals, Crossings in cities, main
markets, Railway Stations, Bus Stands, big restaurants, etcto disseminate news free of
cost through gadgets equipped with multiple facilities for the people like contacting
police in case of crime, fire brigade in case of fire, ambulance in case of health trouble
and even providing news directly to the newspapers/news channels if any incident
takes place in the area. There is also possibility that most content for print and
Television comes from the ordinary houses. Everybody will be journalist. Anyone
who gets information will feed that to the media houses of their choice instantly. The
media houses may come with attractive offers for the common men to get news.
• Interviews and debates for print, TV and web will be done through newer software
like Skype, etc. For print and web, there will be no need to type any text, the new
software would automatically convert audio into text in desired fonts or languages.
• The recruitment of human resource also will be through video conferencing and this
type of newer software like Skype. However, it is widely used by foreign the NRs for
recruitment now, it will be common practice in all the NRs in future.
• As the last attempt to survive, the newspapers may have multiple editions like
afternoon or evening. However, a good number of readers (55%) say that as the
digital media is getting stronger day by day the print form of newspapers and
magazines will vanish shortly. But when it comes to convenience in consumption of
news, 68% of readers say reading a newspaper in print form is more convenient than
reading the news in digital form on computer or mobile phone.
• The editor’s institution may witness further degradation. The growing MBA culture in
the NR has ruined the editorial autonomy and editors are treated nothing but another
353Chapter 7: Conclusion and Suggestions
manager in the media house. The growing dominance of marketing department in NR
will ultimately eat NR and it may be merged with other departments in near future.
• Today the dependence on Google is more. There may be newer other search engines
better and accurate than Google. China has developed its own search engine, Baidu.
Tomorrow India may also come with a better search engine than Google. There may
be more Competitors of Google, Facebook, Twitter and other social media platform.
However, several efforts were made in India to develop own search engines, but the
results have not been encouraging. There are reports that Apple is also developing its
own search engine.
• What is normally seen in science fictions or the Harry Potter series may prove to be a
common practice in newspapers, magazines news channels in coming days.
• During the study, 86% respondents expressed desire to watch the news as per their
own convenience. Hence, they want a strong mechanism in the form of Archives etc
on the part of media houses, especially from TV news channels, where they can easily
access old programmes anytime without paying anything.
• Objectivity and truthfulness have largely decreased in the NR. It will continue to
haunt the entire media including newspapers, TV news channels and web portals.
Anyone, who loses trustworthiness, will lose the audience also. During the study, a
total of 66% respondents opined that TV news channels are not credible in providing
the news.
• The way citizen journalism is getting popular, there is very much possibility that good
number of journalists may become irrelevant in the NR in coming days.
• As most NRs are in the process of turning virtual, majority journalism institutions in
India are seen teaching 19th century journalism practices to their students. This gap
has to be filled quickly, otherwise, the human resource produced from institutions will
be of no use. There is very much possibility that the stuff required for future
technology-driven journalism is not produced by journalism institutes, rather good
content generators may come from ordinary families.
• Majority (81%) respondents in the study agreed that due to digital technology there
will be more coverage of hyper local news in both the print newspapers and the TV
news channels. One of the prime reasons for the newspapers and news channels
getting hyper local is that the social media is yet to register effective reach there. The
day social media also reaches, there the mainstream media will lose audience.
354Chapter 7: Conclusion and Suggestions
• The coverage of views is more than the news. In the name of news, views are
incorporated freely. It is more in case of news channels. During the study, 92%
respondents said the element of ‘views’ is more in the ‘news’ than the basic facts.
• The main libraries world over are being digitised. But in coming days, there may be
the problem of copy right, royalty and revenue model. It has also to be decided how
deep one will be allowed to access the Archive free and at which level one will have
to pay. The biggest benefit of digitisation will be that the information buried in
libraries till now, will be open to all the world over. This will at least change the
dimension of research in future.
• Investment in NR on stringers and reporters has substantially reduced for some time.
Their numbers might have increased, the quality in respect of knowledge has
decreased.
• There is decay in role models in the NR. Those who were touted as role models were
either caught in Niira Radia tape case or working as agents of some politicians or
ministers. It has hugely dented the image of journalists and editors in the NR.
• As the government promotes digitisation through Digital India Programme, the major
issue emerging out of it is the poor internet speed. Today, India is far behind in global
ranking of internet speed. There are issues related to infrastructure also.
• A strong number of newspaper readers (87%) feel there should be a mechanism in the
form of any web portal, etc where people can crosscheck the information posted on
social media platforms. This will help curbing the misleading information posted and
forwarded blindly by most people on various social media platforms.
• A strong number (72%) of journalists accept that smartphone has now emerged as a
major challenge before the print media.
• Majority (63%) journalists admit that the digital technology has made the work easier
and faster in the Newsroom. But 89% say the convergence of different media has
increased the workload of the people working in the NR.
• A strong number (77%) supported the argument that in near future, the NR will be
virtual and people will not be required to go to offices. They will work from home or
file the stories from the spot only. Strong (70%) respondents visualise that after 5
years the newsroom will be totally Digital.
• A strong number of respondents (93%) see the web technology as a potential for
making the NR more dynamic. At the same time, strong number of respondents (88%)
355Chapter 7: Conclusion and Suggestions
observed that web’s emphasis on speed and immediacy has posed a danger to
accuracy, quality and journalistic values of newspaper/channel.
• A strong number (92%) of respondents feel that after the arrival of digital media the
war for breaking news has increased. A relatively very high number of respondents
i.e. 89% said that after the arrival of digital media the verification of facts has
decreased. Additionally, a very strong number (94%) admit that a very unhealthy
trend of cut and paste journalism has gained ground in the NR due to digital
technology.
• There is much possibility of free broadband, free audio-video calling and free dish by
Service Providers in near future. Reliance Jio has already done this experiment
successfully. Airtel has also offered benefits to its consumers if they use its caller
tune. More interesting and fascinating offers from different phone and internet
companies are in the offing. During the study, 59% respondents visualised the
possibility for consumers being paid by mobile and internet companies for using their
network. However, the opinion on free distribution of newspapers, as is seen in some
Western countries today, is divided. 49% feel there may be the free-distribution of
newspapers in near future.
7.20: Suggestions
AI is the future technology. The life in coming days would centre around AI and
algorithms. Hence, technology should be treated as a friend and not the enemy. It
should extensively be used to improve quality of the product, accelerate speed and
widen the reach up to global level and remote areas.
Investment in technology has to be increased. AI is going to dominate
unexceptionally. Robots are to enter the NR within two-three years. The virtual NR
will produce high quality and fast content engaging the readers or audience.
Instead of investing money in creating high-rise buildings, the media houses should
increase investment on technology and train the staff to meet future challenges
emerging in the NR. Investment on stringers, reporters or connecting knowledge
writers with the NR and also training of the staff, value addition, upliftment and
enlightenment of people should increase.
Instead of insisting on biometric attendance or compelling people to reach the office
for routine morning meetings, people should be compelled to go to the field, find
356Chapter 7: Conclusion and Suggestions
exclusive or interesting stories, meet new people, visit the remote areas, study the life
of people there and file out of the box ‘untold stories’. Instead of physical meetings,
e-meetings should be held.
Convergence in the NR is going to take a new turn. Hence, the staff should be trained
to work in the changed matrix.
Every media house must have at least four special training sessions annually for its
staff to acquaint them with the changes in technology or introduce them with the
newer gadgets to be used in coming days.
Apart from market, the centre of the NR planning should be the reader.
Around 80% of young generation in urban areas does not prefer reading a newspaper
or watching TV news channel. But they are always updated through their
smartphones. Hence, that section of audience should be reached through the medium
and format, which they enjoy. There is greater scope for expansion in digital for every
media.
Social media too is not an enemy of the newspapers, magazines and TV channels.
Social media platforms should be used extensively to tap the unlimited number of
readers across the world and also to generate hunger for new content. Anyone can tap
global audience through social media, which is not possible through print, TV or the
radio.
There is general complaint that unconfirmed and misleading stories are posted or
forwarded in social media by users. There is dire need to create a strong mechanism,
may be in the form of a web portal, where anyone can crosscheck the information
before posting or forwarding in social media. This will largely help curbing the
misleading information posted and forwarded blindly by most of people on various
social media platforms.
Web will dominate and print will emerge in new forms. Lively or real time papers
will vanish but paperless newspaper (not on mobile, tab or computer) will survive.
Even the TV news channels will shift to new technology, which will be new but
tomorrow it may be different. Hence, every newspaper, magazine, TV news channel
or radio station should urgently start work on creating a strong web presence. Since
web provides global audience, the content and all planning in the NR should be made
keeping the global audience in centre. Even if somebody wants to interact with the
local audience only, that too is possible using the digital technology. Facebook does it
even now.
357Chapter 7: Conclusion and Suggestions
Smartphone is the future screen and app is future TV. Since print is gradually losing
charm and most readers are fast turning to digital, the newspapers, magazines and
news channels should turn to digital and all their future planning should be
smartphone or similar other device-centric.
Innovations in content generation, presentation and dissemination will work. Anyone
who comes with innovative idea of news presentation will tap more audience. If
somebody materialises the innovative ideas visualised in various science fictions that
will surely gain more audience.
There is increased preference for audio-video based content. Hence, the focus of
newspapers and magazines too should be producing more audio-video based content.
Most of the readers do not want long stories or long videos. They want news in brief
and short videos disseminating the message in brief. Hence, the focus should be on
brief stories and small duration videos. Even the newspapers and magazines, which
normally carry long stories, need to provide gist of every story or article in bullet
points.
The demand for personalised content will increase in near future. Hence, the NR
should start thinking and working on this line too.
Emphasis on hyper local news is temporary formula for survival. Instead, the
newspapers should create city or region based websites and try to tap/engage the
readers of that city/ region globally.
There is huge scope for regional language newspapers in the digital media. They can
tap the particular language readers across the world through web.
Tailor-made style of news presentation in newspapers has no taker. There is a need to
ensure diversity and originality in content and presentation.
There is need for honest analysis. Print needs to be ‘glocal’—mixer of both local and
global content. It also needs to return to the grass roots—the evidence based reporting
from the spot, and not the agenda setting news generation sitting in ivory towers.
There is a need to tell the untold story.
There is urgent need for improving objectivity, truthfulness and trustworthiness in the
media.
Keeping in view the adverse impact of speed on accuracy, quality and journalistic
values in NR, the speed needs to be replaced with substance and search has to be
converted into research.
358Chapter 7: Conclusion and Suggestions
This is a fact that many posts have vanished and some are to be abolished in the NR.
But it should not happen blindly in the name of technology. Some posts are and will
be essential. The posts of sub editor, chief sub editor, copy editor, news editor,
assistant editor, associate editor etc are essential for quality content production. May
be the management does not understand their significance, but editorially they are
essential. The editors need to take a firm stand on it.
The editor’s institution should be revived and interference of management through
marketing department should be curtailed. The editor must be loyal to readers only.
Every news channel should create a strong mechanism in the form of an Archive
where people can watch any previous news bulletin any time. This will increase their
viewership unexceptionally. Those who miss their favourite news bulletin or
programme on any particular news channel will be able to watch that anytime as per
their convenience.
Disposal of e-waste needs immediate attention of policymakers, general-public and
the media together. Instead of waiting or depending upon the government agencies for
disposal of e-waste, the big media houses, which use gadgets and produce high
quantity e-waste, should devise ways for disposal and recycling of e-waste. The
government should also intervene in it without delay and if need arises it should enact
a law too. There are reports that Samsung is planning to retrieve 157 tonnes of
essential metals from its S Galaxy series gadgets. Recycling of e-waste should be
developed as a new industry.
The working conditions of people in the NR must be improved. The ultimate
responsibility of it lies with the media owners. Most mediapersons are underpaid.
Instead of fighting over the issue of whether to implement wage board award or not,
the people should be paid at least the amount, which is required to live a decent and
dignified life.
Long and stressed working hours kill creativity. Whatever is required to keep the
people relaxed in NR should be done. Flexible office timings, regular motivation for
good work, adequate arrangements for refreshment and even creating nap rooms in
the office are some of the methods to keep the NR people relaxed.
Since gadgets and their operating systems change every year, it is not possible on the
part of journalists to update the gadgets every year. Hence, the media houses should
own this responsibility, if they want news with speed and more accuracy. The burden
of technological upgradation has to be shared together, otherwise the news will suffer.
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